BrandYOU.
How this will benefit you:
The most important brand that you own is you. This post will help ensure that your personal brand is the one you want and will give you easy and practical ways to control and develop your personal brand.
The power and purpose of branding
I am sure that everyone is familiar with branding; these days it is near impossible to shield yourself from the constant bombardment of branding from every media outlet possible.
“Branding is one of the most powerful tools used for differentiating one product from another and persuading us to part with our hard earned cash.”
The power of the brand is rampant in the fashion industry, the electronics industry, in entertainment, television, food, toys, games, kitchens, pharmaceuticals, transport and almost anywhere where differentiation of a product is required.
So with all this branding going on; the importance of it and the huge sums of money companies are willing to spend on it, it seems surprising then that so few people do not think more about the most important brand they own…themselves.
BrandYOU
You own your personal brand. Your personal brand is what differentiates you from everyone else. Your personal brand is exclusive to you and you are responsible for it.
You’re personal Brand.
Three questions to ask about your brand.
1. What does your current brand look like?
2. What would you like your brand to look like?
3. How are you going to develop your brand this coming year?
3 practical steps for developing the personal brand you want.
Picture Cuttings / Movie Research:
Start collecting images and videos of the physical traits you want to process, the places you want to live, the activities you want to be doing, the social groups you want to belong to, the holidays you want to take.
Creating visual dreams and goals is a powerful tool for stimulating change.
Constantly update this visual life goal as and when you please. Focus on it, believe that this is the type of person you could be and the type of life you could be living.
Step 1: Create the lifestyle brand you want, make it visual, and believe it’s possible to achieve.
Personal brand statement:
All great brands have a great brand statement, a phrase that sums up the ethos, direction and feel of their company. For example Nike has “Just do it” for its sporting range.
You also need a brand statement, a few words or sentences that sum up you and what you want to do. With a brand statement and visual goal you have a great vision for accessing every area of your life to see if it falls in line with the BrandYou.
For example, my personal brand this year might look something like this.
Brand Statement: Experience Life
And I can expand on this to go into a bit more detail. Hopefully from the below you should be able to get an idea of the type of person I am or am aiming to be.
I’m a happy-go-lucky guy who is willing to risk the good to go for the great. I am a photographer, writer, musician, designer and entrepreneur. I like to dress well and take pride in my appearance. I find people fascinating. I am constantly full of ideas. I love being stimulated by beauty and try to capture or create it in my work and surround myself. I like things to be simple. I am confident in my abilities. I take risks. I live the life I dream. I read and learn ferociously. I do things in the way I think works, not in how others believe it should be done. I always look for opportunities. I enjoy life.
Step 2: Create a personal brand statement
Clear out wardrobe:
Something that should be done at least once a year.
Simplify your life; don’t let it get clutter with huge amounts of stuff that you hardly ever use.
Think of the visual life brand you have created above and your brand statement and then assess your wardrobe. Does it match the brand you are trying to create? if not take out the things that don’t fit.
Be aggressive and remove anything that doesn’t align itself with the brand you are trying to create. The same can go for the fridge, does the food in there and in the freezer match the lifestyle brand you want, would the person in those images have a fridge stocked like this. If not, remove anything that doesn’t fit and start buying in things that do.
These two simple things can be hugely freeing and are great first steps to ensuring you are on the way to living the brand that you want.
Step 3: Rid yourself of anything that doesn’t fit the brand you wish to live.
The more powerful or detailed you can make the BrandYOU and the more you focus on it, the more you will see change in your life and your habits, attitude and behaviour will begin to fall in line with the BrandYOU have created and you will start moving forward to living this type of life.
The great thing about branding is that it is not set in stone, brands change and develops over time. So will yours. Have fun creating your brand and don’t limit yourself. You are capable of a lot more than you think.
Dare to dream.
The most important brand that you own is you. This post will help ensure that your personal brand is the one you want and will give you easy and practical ways to control and develop your own personal brand.
I am sure that everyone is familiar with branding; these days it is near impossible to shield yourself from the constant bombardment of branding from every media outlet possible.
“Branding is one of the most powerful tools used for differentiating one product from another and persuading us to part with our hard earned cash.”
The power of the brand is rampant in the fashion industry, the electronics industry, in entertainment, television, food, toys, games, kitchens, pharmaceuticals, transport and almost anywhere where differentiation of a product is required.
So with all this branding going on; the importance of it and the huge sums of money companies are willing to spend on it, it seems surprising then that so few people do not think more about the most important brand they own…themselves.
XX
.
The power and purpose of branding
You own your personal brand. Your personal brand is what differentiates you from everyone else. Your personal brand is exclusive to you and you are responsible for it.
.
.
You’re personal Brand.
Three questions to ask about your brand.
1. What does your current brand look like?
2. What would you like your brand to look like?
3. How are you going to develop your brand this coming year?
.
.
3 practical steps for developing the personal brand you want.
.
Step 1: Picture Cuttings / Movie Research:
Start collecting images and videos of the physical traits you want to process, the places you want to live, the activities you want to be doing, the social groups you want to belong to, the holidays you want to take.
Creating visual dreams and goals is a powerful tool for stimulating change.
Constantly update this visual life goal as and when you please. Focus on it, believe that this is the type of person you could be and the type of life you could be living.
Step 1: Create the lifestyle brand you want, make it visual, and believe it’s possible to achieve.
Step 2. Personal brand statement:
All great brands have a great brand statement, a phrase that sums up the ethos, direction and feel of their company. For example Nike has “Just do it” for its sporting range.
You also need a brand statement, a few words or sentences that sum up you and what you want to do. With a brand statement and visual goal you have a great vision for accessing every area of your life to see if it falls in line with the BrandYou.
.
For example, my personal brand this year might look something like this.
.
Brand Statement: Experience Life
And I can expand on this to go into a bit more detail. Hopefully from the below you should be able to get an idea of the type of person I am or am aiming to be.
.
I’m a happy-go-lucky guy who is willing to risk the good to go for the great. I am a photographer, writer, musician, designer and entrepreneur. I like to dress well and take pride in my appearance. I find people fascinating. I am constantly full of ideas. I love being stimulated by beauty and try to capture or create it in my work and surround myself. I like things to be simple. I am confident in my abilities. I take risks. I live the life I dream. I read and learn ferociously. I do things in the way I think works, not in how others believe it should be done. I always look for opportunities. I enjoy life.
Step 2: Create a personal brand statement
Step 3: Clear out wardrobe:
Something that should be done at least once a year.
Simplify your life; don’t let it get clutter with huge amounts of stuff that you hardly ever use.
Think of the visual life brand you have created above and your brand statement and then assess your wardrobe. Does it match the brand you are trying to create? if not take out the things that don’t fit.
Be aggressive and remove anything that doesn’t align itself with the brand you are trying to create. The same can go for the fridge, does the food in there and in the freezer match the lifestyle brand you want, would the person in those images have a fridge stocked like this. If not, remove anything that doesn’t fit and start buying in things that do.
These two simple things can be hugely freeing and are great first steps to ensuring you are on the way to living the brand that you want.
Step 3: Rid yourself of anything that doesn’t fit the brand you wish to live.
.
The more powerful or detailed you can make the BrandYOU and the more you focus on it, the more you will see change in your life and your habits, attitude and behaviour will begin to fall in line with the BrandYOU have created and you will start moving forward to living this type of life.
The great thing about branding is that it is not set in stone, brands change and develops over time. So will yours. Have fun creating your brand and don’t limit yourself. You are capable of a lot more than you think.
.
One Comment
[...] The problem is, this new life you are aiming for – the new habits, eating styles or goals – is not what you or your brain is used to; it doesn’t fit with the image you have of yourself, it doesn’t fit your personal brand (See BrandYou post for more on this). [...]